She's a Gift Trilogy
by EreshkigalGirl
Summary: Originally posted in 2005 on Copper for a Kiss and Objects in Space. A little bit of Rayney fluff. COMPLETE. Disclaimer: Jayne, River, Serenity, and the Crew belong to Joss, Fox, Mutant Enemy, and Universal, not me.
1. Gifted

GIFTED—reedited

(Written before the BDM, so it takes place in a sort of AU-ish 'verse where Wash and Book are still alive, and Inara is still at the Training House.)

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"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear River! Happy birthday to you!"

The girl—young woman—beamed at the others around the table. She got to sit at the head for this special occasion, and was treated like a princess for today. Kaylee had made the protein cake, and they had even gone out for gifts. Usually, a birthday on _Serenity_ was a strictly cake affair, but Kaylee had talked most of the crew members into getting the girl gifts, since River had been denied most of the other fun aspects of life while she was at the Academy.

River squished up her eyes and made a wish, then blew all eighteen candles out with in one breathe. She was all grown up now in the eyes of the law. River opened her eyes and looked around. "Where's the knife to cut the cake."

"Don't be givin' her no knives," Jayne warned, though in the past few months after the bounty hunter, he had taken a more mellow attitude where River was concerned.

"For the _cake_, not for _you_. Besides: ew," River dead-panned, looking pointedly at him in the seat to her left. "Jayne flavored cake would not taste good. Too gamey."

She made to poke at him unappetizingly with her fork, and he swatted her away. The crew laughed at the interplay, and Kaylee went about dividing the cake up into equal slices.

"So, what'd'ja wish for?" Wash asked, as he bounced in his seat, eager for his piece of the cake.

"She can't tell, silly!" Kaylee chastised. "If she tells, it won't come true. Them's the rules; everybody knows that."

"Sorry," Wash apologized with much mock shame. "I forgot. No telling….How about a hint?"

"Wash!"

"River leaned in as if she could share a secret with the man at the far end of the table without everyone else hearing. "It involves…bells," she stage whispered.

"Ah…of course." Wash nodded. "Bells. Because that's a wonderful hint."

"It would be if you knew what I wished for," River pointed out.

"I suppose now would be the time for presents, yes?" Shepherd Book asked. River nodded, taking up Wash's earlier bouncing, and held out her hands for the first gift.

The Preacher reached under his chair and pulled out an inch-thick, floppy parcel wrapped in simple brown paper and tied with string knotted into a bow. "Happy Birthday, River."

She reached out and snatched it from the Shepherd's hands and tore the string off. She remembered that her mother had always made her carefully unwrap her presents as a child, and had a thought to do the same now, but soon decided that her parents could go stick their proper etiquette way up their pi-gu's for all she cared. River tore the paper away from the gift to reveal several magazines—science journals. They were all from different disciplines, and all from within the last three months. Quantum physics, genetics, astronomy, and chemistry.

"Oooooo. 'New discoveries made in negative energy research,'" she read. "Much thanks."

"This one's from us," Zoë announced and handed River a rectangular package with wrapping that the younger woman suspected Wash had done by the bright, vaguely tropical feel of those flowers on the paper.

Inside the bright paper was a box that had a handle on one long end, and latches on the other. River flipped the latches open and found a vast array of colored pencils, good paints—in tubes—three brushes, and even oil pastel crayons. She grinned up at her gifters. "This will keep me busy for a while," she promised them. "Thank you."

"Mine next! Mine next!" Kaylee squealed. She brought out a bigger, flatter, longer box, and passed it down the birthday girl. When River opened it, she found what she had known was in there: a new dress in shimmery green material. Kaylee giggled. "Okay. So it's not much of a surprise since you were with me when I bought it, but at least this way we know it definitely does fit!"

Everyone shared the joke, and then Simon handed his sister his gift. "It's not…well, I think I could have done better. I hope you like it, anyway."

It wasn't even in a box, and it wasn't well wrapped, so River didn't feel too bad about tearing into her present. Under the plain white paper was a stuffed animal—a stuffed pig, to be exact, with a curly plush tail and small, black, button eyes. River tipped her head to the side as she regarded it. The gift was meant for a child, but the sentiment was there. "Thank you, Simon. Perhaps next year you will get me something age-appropriate." She smiled at him to ease the sting of her comment. "I shall call him Mr. Pig."

Mal drew everyone's attention by sitting up noisily, wiping his mouth with his napkin, and throwing it down onto his empty plate. "I don't see why every one of you is babyin' this young woman. She is lazy. She don't take no part in the jobs we do. She is suckin' up our limited funds and not doin' a lick of work to make up for it. From now on, Miss River, I expect you to do your share of the chores around here." He held up a hand to Simon's ready protest. "If she's to be a part of this crew, then she does the work—when she's able. I'll expect you to do the dishes twice a week, help make dinners when it's your turn, and take a hand to the cargo bay every once in a while, dong ma?"

It was the best present the Captain could have given her. She was a part of the crew. She was earning her keep. She belonged. "Yes, sir," River answered eagerly.

"Good." He nodded.

"Oh! And one more thing." Kaylee glanced over at the Captain, her face unsure if what was coming next would hurt him. The last thing she ever wanted was to hurt him. "You know how me an 'Nara…how I keep in touch with her?"

Mal did have to look down, and he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Once he had cleared his throat and looked up, he motioned for Kaylee to go on.

"Well, anyways, I told her 'bout us throwin' ya a party," she told River, "and she sent'cha a gift, too. She had to send it to me, 'cause, ya know, fugitive and all." Kaylee said apologetically and handed her a thick box. It was heavy, too, River discovered. When she opened it, the first thing she saw, on top of a lot of packing foam chips, was a letter.

_Dear Boa Mei,_

_Happy Birthday. The law says that you are a full fledged adult now, but true maturity comes not from the number of years you have lived, but the amount of living you have done in those years. You have had so much of life thrust upon you, but you remain one of the most beautiful, talented, and caring people I have ever met. I am so proud of how far you have come in the short time that I have known you, and I hope that you will continue to strive to overcome your past. Do not let the cruelty of others dampen that wonderful spirit of yours._

_As for your gift, I hope you like it. Only a few days after Kaylee told me about your party, I went to a charity auction and when I saw these, and in what I believe is your size, I had to get them. Don't get too excited; they're nothing special. No one famous wore these. But something I hope you will love is included at the bottom of the box, as well._

_Love,_

_Inara_

River read the letter silently, and then pushed aside the foam S's that protected the gift. It was a pair of toe shoes that lay amongst the foam. They were white, and a little worn around the heavy toe that allowed for prolonged time en pointe. "Shiny," River whispered, and then held her gift up so that everyone could see, and so that she could get to the bottom of the box.

"Perfect gift," Mal muttered.

River glanced sharply at him, warning not to ruin her day. She turned and looked back into the box for the second half of her gift. There was a picture there, half coved still by packaging material. River pulled it out and discovered the holographic action picture of a ballerina, complete with autograph. Her ecstatic squeal punctuated the room as she tried not to squeeze the picture too hard and rumple it, therefore disconnecting the hologram-generators in the fibers of the paper.

"What is it?" Jayne asked, trying to see the paper the girl was so happy about.

"It's Illiana Ampte!" Seeing that this meant nothing to the others in the room, River explained. "Prima ballerina. Famous in the Core. She's played Odette in five different productions of _Swan Lake_. She's Shaharizad and Madam Butterfly and Cinderella and Giselle. She is great. She's a swan, a gazelle, music in form." River turned the picture so that they could see the clip of Illiana play. "She's my hero!"

Everyone leaned in to see the tall blonde dance across the floor of some stage, go up on one toe, her other foot high over her head, and then begin again as the clip restarted. The autograph read:

_Birthday Girl,_

_Keep dancing. _

_Illiana_

"She's hot," Jayne observed, for which he was glared at by most of the occupants of the table. He shrugged. "What?"

River didn't take offence. "She is very beautiful," she agreed, almost sad. "Used to imagine I was her." She stared down at the autographed picture for a few seconds.

"So, you gonna try on them shoes, or what?" Kaylee asked.

River snapped out of her musing and grinned again. She pulled her feet up onto the chair to slip the first shoe on. Like most days, she had gone barefoot, so there was no need to take off those big, clunky combat boots. Once one was on, she laced it up her calf and tied it up in back, then moved on to the next to repeat the process. When she stood, she made a loud clomping on the metal.

River took a breath deep into her lungs and positioned her feet, one in front of the other, toes pointed outward. Then up she went. Once on her toes, she brought her legs together, so that they made one long stem, and slowly she raised her hands above her head to form a circle.

_She looks like a flower_, Kaylee thought; but it was the bright flash that lit up in Jayne's mind that made River lose her balance—a thing unheard of!—and have to quickly return to a normal stance, one hand on the back of her chair to steady herself.

When Simon made to bolt up and come to her side, River waved him back down. "Should have stretched first. Long time since I've been on my toes. Muscles are unused to the strain."

As she maneuvered back into her seat, she flicked a glance to Jayne and found him staring at the table. She didn't want to press to find out what that flash had been, but the temptation, spurred on by curiosity, ate at her.

Jayne kept his eyes on the table for a few more seconds. When she had stood up like that…with her arms over her head, it hit a little too close to home. He looked up again, and found all eyes on him. He was the only one that hadn't given River a present yet. Most of them were probably figuring that he hadn't gotten her anything. Jayne cleared his throat and reached under his seat to pull out the same box that his mother had sent him his hat in.

Before River could even take it, though, Mal cut in. "Wait!" He gave his mercenary a warning look. Jayne had a tendency to give…inappropriate gifts. "It's not any kind of weapon, is it?"

"I know, 'no touching guns'," he said.

"Any kind of weapon, Jayne," Mal reiterated. "Knives, small grenades, a sling shot."

"Did'ja not hear what I said about not givin' her no knives?"

"So it's not a weapon?"

"No!" both Jayne and River answered at the same time. Jayne cut a look over to the girl. She didn't know what the gift was, did she? It'd take all the point out of it if she'd done that weird brain thing and peaked. She didn't look like she knew, though. She just looked as annoyed at the Captain as he was. Good.

"Alright, alright. It's not anything else that River shouldn't be gettin', is it?"

"No."

"Alright." Mal sat back in his seat and held his hands up in front of him. "Go on ahead then. Happy birthday."

"Yeah," Jayne mumbled. "Here. Take it."

"Thank you," River told him, sincerely. Despite the truce and the subsequent…what? friendship, she supposed…that had sprung up between the two of them, River hadn't expected to get a present from Jayne. This was going to be interesting.

There was no wrapping paper. The box just had the lid folded down and under so that it stayed shut. It was heavier than Inara's had been, which caught River unprepared, and she had to quickly take it in both hands to keep from dropping it. Once she had set it down on the table in front of her, she opened the top and confronted yet more packaging material—little crinkled strips of paper over top of some bulky shape beneath. River cleared away the paper on top and revealed a wood carving.

"Oh."

Everyone leaned in to try and see what it was. Jayne leaned back in his seat, very uncomfortable.

Very gently, River slipped both of her hands into the box and brought out a fragile ballerina, no more than a foot tall. It was made of a single block of oak, polished so that it glowed in the dim light. Her arms were up over her head, framing it like a halo. It must have taken forever, and Jayne would have to have been so careful not to break the delicate spires. The ballerina's tutu stood straight out from the body, and even had ruffles. Her legs were together, pointed, as if on toe shoes, and served as the supporting pillar that flowed into an inch-thick, cylindrical base. The face was blank, but tiny etches indicated hair flowing back into a bun.

"She shines, Jayne," River whispered. "You made her shine."

For the life of him, Jayne couldn't figure out if she meant the carving, or herself because the smile on her face made her look like she was glowing. "Yeah, well…." He shifted and cleared his throat. "I just didn't want to go an' spend money on somethin' ya was probably gonna break when ya threw it across the room on one a'yer 'bad days'." He even did the finger quotes.

"Jayne!" Kaylee exclaimed.

"Wouldn't," River answered in a murmur, still focused on the statue. She blinked back to the reality and looked up at Jayne. "Best gift ever."

Now Jayne was very, very uncomfortable, so he pushed out from the table. "If we're done now, I'm gonna go…ya know…that'a way."

God, that sounded lame even to his own ears. What the hell was wrong with him? Rather than think about it, Jayne stood up and headed for his bunk. He could feel every gorram one of them staring at his back, but he made it like he didn't feel nothin', and climbed down to his quarters as easily as any other night.

"Well, guess that wraps up this party," Wash noted. "Happy birthday, River."

"Come on," Kaylee said, walking over to River. "I'll help you carry your stuff." She picked up the science journals, the art supplies, and the dress, which was still in the box. River carefully set the ballerina back in her box and closed the box in order to carry her more safely. Then she took up the autograph and the plush piggy that Simon had given her. She still had the toe shoes on, so that made carrying them a lot easier.

Kaylee bumped her friend's hip playfully and leaned in. "So? How'd ya like yer party?"

"Shiny," River responded, the undefeated grin once again claiming territory.

Kaylee's own smile dimmed under her crawling curiosity. She looked down at the box that held the tiny ballerina, then back over her shoulder to the crew's bunks, and then over at River, dieing for an explanation. The younger woman gave her a significant look, and then glanced over at both her brother and the Captain. _Not now_, was the clear message. Kaylee nodded and waited until the two had reached River's room before she asked her questions. Luckily, Simon had clean-up duty tonight, so he wasn't around to stop her.

"What was _that_ about? Jayne made you a present. An' I don't care _what_ he said about not wantin' ta spend money on somethin' you'd break, that don't explain it."

River placed the box on her bed, and put the stuffed animal up by her pillow before she answered Kaylee's question. "He's very green right now. It's confusing."

The mechanic shook her head. "Is green good or bad?"

"I don't know," she said, quite honestly. "He is embarrassed about showing softness in public." She shrugged. "Didn't even expect a gift from him. Opened the box…and there I was."

Kaylee thought she meant 'there it was.' That wasn't what River had meant at all. She had articulated exactly what she had meant, for once. She didn't even need to dig around in Jayne's mind to find that out. His over-flow was enough, and she remembered the flash in his mind when she had tested out the gift from Inara.

Jayne had heard he needed to get her a present for her birthday. He had decided to make her something, for whatever reasons he gave himself. He had gone on the Cortex and looked up pictures of ballerinas, found one, and used it as his model to carve the statue. No matter who the picture he used as his basis was of, it was her he was carving the entire time. Every thought had been about her; about the way she moved, and stood, and looked. He had been concentrating on her, knowing that the gift was for her. He had unconsciously imbued his carving with his thoughts of her. He had given her herself.

"So…your sayin' ya don't know why Jayne just up and decided ta make you a hand-made carving of a ballerina?" Kaylee needled.

River shrugged. "Better to ask him than ask me."

Kaylee showed that she didn't much believe that River had no idea what was going on, but she let her friend slide, just this once. But she was going to keep her eye on this. It was too good to just let go.

"Alright, then. Fine. Don't tell me." She stuck her tongue out at River. "I got work to do, anyway."

River took her presents out of Kaylee's hands, adding her own goofy face to the friendly antagonism. When the engineer was out of sight, River went about putting her things away. The dress went in the closet. The toe shoes came off, and they went in the closet, too—at the bottom, on the floor board. The art supplies she put in one of the drawers under her mattress, as did the science journals, along side her other colored pencils and pad of drawing paper.

She knelt on her bed and secured her autographed picture of Illiana Ampte between the wall and the board that made up the shelf. River considered putting her ballerina carving up there as well, but didn't trust the luck that Serenity had. The first time they had to run from Reavers or Feds, her carving would come tumbling down, and either break, or give her a concussion. Instead, she kept the box by her bed, on the floor, with the lid open.

After only a moment of staring at it, River couldn't resist picking it up again to study it. She followed the grain of the wood with her eyes and her finger. She ran her hands over the arms, and the head, and the body, and the legs, knowing that this was her, and Jayne had surely done the same as he was carving it. It gave her goosebumps.

Jayne had seen her as a child, as crazy, as dangerous, as all three together, but this was not any of those things. This was an adult, a talented dancer, a graceful woman. But there was no face to the carving.

"The lines are still blurry," she murmured. "I'm caught somewhere. I have not yet emerged. _What else may hap, to time I will commit._°°"

°° _Twelfth Night,_ by William Shakespeare. Act I, scene ii, line 60.

_Boa Mei—_female cousin


	2. Regifted

REGIFTED—reedited

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Two by two, the dancers came to the cargo bay to perform. River held the wooden effigy tenderly in the crook of her arm like a baby as she stepped up from the passengers' lounge onto the floor of the bay. She wore the shimmery, green dress that Kaylee had bought her for her birthday last week, and on River's feet were the white satin toe shoes sent by the absent Inara.

River had spent all the past week working her legs back up to the dancing condition that they had been in before she had left for the Academy. Or the condition they had been in when she first left the Academy, for that matter. There was nothing like living on a spaceship to make muscles atrophy. She had spend days stretching and doing demi-pliés, grand pliés, rétires and relevés about the entire ship. Now that her muscles were all reacquainted with dance, it was time to put on a little ballet recital of River's own devising.

As she stepped into the cargo hold, Jayne paused in his lifting with the barbell extended the length of his arms over his chest. He had only caught a glimpse of flowing green and the eerie grace of her walk, and he was able to tell who had just walked into the room. He had been watching her out of the corner of his eye for the past week, truth be told. This was just to make sure she didn't have the wrong idea about that present he'd made for her for her birthday. Jayne had had to put up with an interrogation from Mal, Zoë, Kaylee, and the Doc about that stupid little ballerina carving, and all he'd wanted was to get the crazy girl something they, you know, she'd like and what didn't cost him too much money. He' certainly hadn't meant for everyone to thing something of it. If River thought that it was something other than what it was, he'd need to put that straight right quick.

River barely glanced at him when she entered, however. She gave the Preacher, who was spotting Jayne, a nod in greeting which he acknowledged with a smile. After that, she simply moved to the center of the bay and set her carving up on one of the crates. River smiled at the idol and felt Jayne look over at her again as he went on with his lifting.

With a look around the big storage area, River couldn't help a little frown. She'd love to have a _real _dance floor to perform on, but—as Kaylee had pointed out when she'd lent River her music player—you make due with what you can out in the Black. A metal floor was…not great, but it was what she had, and River was thankful at least to be able to dance freely again. She put the ear phones in with the hooks around the shell of her ear so that the tiny speakers didn't tall out, and pressed the little button on the side to start the first song.

Most of Kaylee's music was what passed for "pop" that the mechanic had downloaded from the Cortex, although River knew that ever since Kaylee had attended the gala with the Captain on Persephone, she had found more classical music on the Cortex and had added those pieces to her song list. They reminded her of the waltzes that played at the "big shindig." The first song on the player, however, was one of the contemporary songs that Kaylee mistakenly took for good just because it was popular with the youth in the Core. The synthesized voice was too high for River's taste, and there didn't seem to be much of a point to the song. River skipped it. The second song was no better—next. It was another recent song, but the beautiful melody was at least original, and the male vocal was soothing and velvety-deep. She could work with that.

Jayne set the bar back in its cradle just as River made the first step in her dance. He sat up and her smooth movements drew his attention. The long sleeves of that dress Kaylee got her were fluttering down from her wrists, and the ruffles of the skirt spun out from her lugs as she went up on one of them shoes and twirled. Jayne was quick to note that she'd put on that pair of black stretch-shorts of hers under the dress. That foresight was another piece of evidence that the girl was getting more even-keeled. Frankly, Jayne had been afraid she was going to flash him and the Shepherd when she went into that turn.

After a few long seconds of watching the dance, Jayne realized that he hadn't yet gotten up from the weight bench so that Book could take his turn lifting. When he jumped up from the bench, he risked a look at the Shepherd and found him smirking in a very un-preacher-like fashion.

"What?"

"She's very talented," Book observed, taking his place on the bench. "River, that is."

"Uh, yeah." Jayne took up the spotter's position at the head of the weight bench, but made another quick peek at the girl as she extended one long, graceful arm up towards the roof, a poignant, intense expression on her face. "She looks like a sad butterfly."

Book stopped short before he'd even gotten the barbell out of the cradle. 'A sad butterfly?' he mentally echoed. The Shepherd cleared his throat. "I suppose I understand the butterfly reference, especially considering the iridescent quality of her dress, but 'sad', Jayne? How do you figure?"

The mercenary shrugged and focused on the Preacher's lifting. "I dunno. She just looks kinda…." He glanced again as River rather impressively went up on one toe and lifted her other leg so that her toe was pointing almost straight up. "She looks like she's lonely."

"Maybe she's a prima—" Book grunted as he forced the weights up again— "ballerina. And she's doing…a solo."

Jayne didn't know what a prima ballerina was, but it sounded fancy. But, fancy or not, River still looked like she'd be happier if there were others to dance with her. He didn't bring this up, though. He thought it best if he and Shepherd stuck to lifting weights and ignored the girl. If their conversation went on longer, Jayne was afraid he'd say something accidentally that would lead Book to give him a lecture, too, and Jayne didn't know how he'd gotten out of an earful from the Preacher in the first place. Best not to test his luck.

River could feel them thinking about her. Book was amused, and slightly distracted by something Jayne had said. The Shepherd was beginning to wonder if the Captain hadn't been right when he'd suggested that Book have a talk with Jayne about the Special Hell. Silly Preacher-Man.

Jayne kept looking over to watch her. River found this interesting. And if she pushed her performance a little more, with more complicated patterns and more evocative movements, stretching to show her litheness of muscles and display her admittedly small assets—well, no one was there to notice, and who would blame her. Everyone likes to show off for an audience.

The song now playing through the music player was a piano and violin duet, and it offered River a chance to really practice the ballet steps she had learned years ago from Madam Garriot. Second arabesque, passé tendu, relevé, jeté,Port de Bras. She ended the song with the long, leg-extendingPas de Chat that reminded Jayne of a doe he's once seen bounding across the field behind the family home.

Shepherd Book combined a grunt with an attempt to clear his throat to get his spotter's attention. Jayne started and grabbed the bar to help the Preacher ease it back into its resting place. "Sorry, Shepherd."

"You're forgiven." Book puffed out a big breath as he sat up. He looked back over his shoulder at the Merc to find the man looking gas sheepish as Book had ever seen him. "I'm going to go was up and change."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go in a minute," Jayne said. "I'm just gonna do a few more reps before I gotta go arm up for the job when we land. We still got a half'n'hour, anyway."

"Mm-hm," Book murmured. "Jayne, perhaps you and I should have a talk soon."

River giggled, drawing both men's attention. When they looked over at her, though, she just ignored them and kept dancing. Book gave Jayne a silent warning before he exited the cargo bay for the showers. Jayne shrugged off the uneasy feeling he got and set himself down to do a few curl before he went to his bunk to get his girls. Of course, River was more than a little distracting, especially when she did some kind of weird dance more that made her legs move like no person's legs ought to be able to do. He kept sneaking little covert glances over at her, thinking they were unnoticed.

They weren't.

"You're a thief."

Jayne looked up at the girl, startled. "Huh?"

River came to rest in third position, her left foot pointing forward, and her right heel touching the arch of her left so that her toe pointed outward. "You are a thief."

"Well, yeah," he admitted. "We all done our share of thievin' 'round here from time to time." 

"You don't have to steal," she told him, a smile curving her lips softly. "I am priceless, with no price. I give freely."

Jayne said nothing. He did not understand, again.

River tensed up all the sudden and sucked in her breath, eyes darting up toward the nose of the ship and glazing over. The next instant, the ship shuddered and tilted dramatically. Jayne grabbed hold of the bench, which was secured to the floor, and planted his feet to steady himself. River was not so lucky, and the shifting of _Serenity _flung her into a crate before she had a chance to grab on to something as an anchor.

Wash's voice came over the com system. "Sorry about that, folks. Mal, could you come up here a minute. We have a slight diplomacy problem with the ship that nearly crashed into us as they came out of atmo."

Jayne cursed the pilot of the other ship, the other captain, and their own, tiny, wimp-ass helmsman just for good measure. Didn't this boat come with some kind of sensors that were supposed to warn about things like incoming ships? He distinctly remembered it going off one time. After his spew of foul language, Jayne stood up to right the barbell that had nearly slid out of the cradle, and then went to check on River, who was still on her butt on the floor.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Ow."

He offered his hand to help her back up, and took a second to look her over and make sure she wasn't hurt too bad.

"Not hurt." She winced as she stood up and reached to rub a spot on her shoulder. "Much. Burst blood vessels will mend in a few days."

"Didn't get too hurt if'n you're still talking like that," Jayne muttered.

He went to turn back to the weight bench thinking to get in a little more work-out time since Mal was going to have to deal with the other ship, but before he got more than thirty degrees around, River's whimper caught him by surprise. Had she gotten more hurt than he'd thought?

"Oh no." she whispered and rushed across the cargo bay, the toes of her shoes making a clatter on the hollow metal. "Oh no no no no no no no."

"What is it?"

She didn't answer except to start crying. Jayne came up behind River to look over her shoulder as she knelt down. Strewn about the floor were bits of wood and splinters that used to be part of the carving he had made her, the body of which now lay mutilated and cracked on the cold floor. The girl reached out and gathered all of the pieces she could find to her, and uselessly tried to reattach them to the body while Jayne cursed. He would have liked to say he didn't care that his gift had gotten smashed. Hadn't he even said she'd probably chuck it across the room and break it? But he couldn't help being a little pissed. He'd worked hard on that carving, and now it was broke all to hell. The expression on the girl's face made him feel like an ass for being mad, though. Poor thing had tears just dripping down her face.

"I'm sorry. So, so sorry. Geppetto's disappointed. She'll never be a real girl now!" she sobbed. "All broken to pieces. Ashes, ashes, we both fell down."

"Hey…look. Don't cry." Jayne squatted down next to her and picked up the base of the statue that had cracked off and had rolled away a bit. Part of the ballerina's legs-pillar was still attached. "I'll fix her. I'll try, least ways."

"River turned to face him and rolled her eyes disbelievingly. "Humpty Dumpty is a hopeless case. There are no kings men that could fix her. She was set up on a wall and the first big wind knocked her to her death."

"Okay, the setting it up on that crate was a dumb idea," Jayne agreed, "but she ain't an egg. Wood's tougher than that. Sure, she's pretty broke up, but I think I can probably stick her back together again."

River still didn't look convinced. Her lack of faith was insulting and it only made him want to prove her wrong.

"Here, gimme them." He took the pieces of arms and the head from her hands and added them to the base he already held. He picked up the body and any other pieces he could find on the floor and added those, too, before he stood up. River followed his example and stood, as well.

"Look, you let me take these for a bit, and I'll have it back to ya, fixed, in no time. Whatta ya say?"

River reached up and rubbed away the last of her tears with the tips of her fingers, and then ran a knuckle under her nose with a sniff. After a second, she nodded to Jayne. "_Being that I flow in grief, The smallest twine may lead me°_."

"Does that mean 'okay'?"

She nodded. She didn't look okay.

"I'll fix it," he promised.

&&&&&

It took an hour for Mal and Wash to have it out with the other Captain, but they both just bitched at each other and decided to go on their separate ways, neither ship wanting to have the Alliance in there to straighten things out. By the time Mal called over the com that they'd landed and were ready to head off to meet their contact, Jayne had put all the pieces of the ballerina onto his bed in his bunk and had figured out where most of the little bits went back together.

"Hey, Mal!" he called up to the bridge as he climbed out from his bunk, guns ready and waiting for use slung across his chest. "Mal? We gonna have time to stop in town? I gotta pick up some stuff."

"What kind of 'stuff'?" the Captain asked.

"Just stuff. Gun oil, ammo, whiskey, cigars." Wood glue.

"Sundries, huh?"

"Yup."

"We'll prob'ly have time, if the job goes smooth."

Shit.

&&&&&

To the amazement of both Zoë and Jayne, the job went pretty smooth, comparatively speaking. Jayne did have to shoot one person, but he made sure he shot the hundun in the sack to show the folks they were dealing with that he meant business. After that, Josiah was fairly accommodating, and Jayne had time to go into town after all. He even managed to talk to one of the carpenters he bought the wood glue from to get some advice.

A bit over a week later, back up in the bespeckled black of space, River sat at the table in the mess. Her body was folded in a V shape, her legs extended fully, ankles crossed, under the table, and her upper body draped across the tabletop. She hadn't worn her new green dress since she'd broken the ballerina carving, as penance for negligent manslaughter. River was in mourning.

Her attention pricked when Jayne opened the hatch of his bunk. She sat up as he climbed, the sound of his movements hindered. When he came into view, Jayne held in one hand the reassembled carving.

"A resurrection!"

Zoë and Shepherd Book looked over at River, then at Jayne when they saw who she was looking at. Kaylee leaned over the counter to see what River was talking about. The three of them were surprised to see the carving in Jayne's big hand.

"Yeah, see? Toldja I'd fix it." Jayne set the carving down on the table in front of River and pulled up a seat next to hers, across from the Preacher and the First Mate. "I even got some advice on how to make it stronger so the head an' arms don't just drop off. There's these little pegs in there what go from the top piece to the bottom piece. Took me for-gorram-ever ta drill them tiny holes. They're in the legs, too."

He turned the carving slightly to show River something. "I couldn't find all the pieces—see right here? Had ta fill it with putty. Still looks okay, right?" He reached out a hand to tug at the bottom of a strand of her hair beneath the line of table so that only Kaylee could see what Jayne had done.

River smiled. "Our flaws are forgiven, and are what makes us unique. Right, Preacher-Man?" she asked pointedly. He was beginning to think he should find a time to have that special chat with Jayne soon.

"Only those flaws that don't lead us into temptation, River," Book said.

River gave her patented eye-roll and turned back to Jayne. The mercenary knew something had just passed between the girl and the Preacher, but he wasn't sure what. Poor Jayne. River leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, just to the side of his goatee. "Thank you for fixing her, Jayne."

Before he could react to that, the girl was up from her seat with her carving in hand and headed for the door. It took another second for Jayne to form words. "The 'thank you' woulda been enough, ya cracked, crazy, stupid, feng le…." He reached up with his fist to wipe away the kiss, but the more he rubbed, the more it felt as though the kiss-mark was spreading. He was rubbing it in, not wiping it off, so he quit. Jayne then noticed that the three other people in the room were staring at him. "What?"

"When did River break her carving?" Zoë began the interrogation.

"When we nearly nosed that other ship last week," Jayne answered. "She had the thing up on a crate in the cargo bay, an' when the ship swerved, it fell."

"And you fixed it for her!" Kaylee chirped. "That was real nice of ya, Jayne."

Jayne needed to get up and move around, so he went into the kitchen and started looking for something to eat. He was experiencing a powerful uncomfortablenss with all this attention he was suddenly getting. "Not a matter'a nice. I was bored, an' it weren't like it was her fault it broke."

"Jayne," Book spoke up, "we are only trying to understand why you voluntarily repaired the rather important, and unexpected, gift you yourself made for a girl whom you have openly expressed your dislike for in the past."

"'Cause I felt like it." 

"That's what we're worried about," Zoë said.

"You all just leave Jayne alone," Kaylee defended him. "He's done somethin' nice for somebody for once. Instead of gripin' at him, we oughta be encouragin' it. Jayne," she smiled up at him, "wouldja help me install a new buffer panel on the left wing of the ship? And the proximity alert on the nose?"

"No."

"Should I get River to ask you?" she teased in her most little-sister-like way.

He scowled down at her and stomped away to the sound of Kaylee's laughter at his back.

Book leaned over to the First Mate. "Do you think we should tell the Captain about this?"

Zoë thought about it. She didn't particularly like Jayne, nor did she have any special affection for River other than her acknowledgement that the girl got a raw deal when she'd been shipped off to the Academy. But things seemed to be a sight more peaceful aboard Serenity without the two trying to displace each other at every turn, and that was slightly endearing. "I don't think so, Shepherd. Let's just leave 'em be for now."

Kaylee, ignored for the past few minutes, had begun to hum under her breath. It sounded a lot like: "Jayne and River, sitting in a tree…"

_°_ _Much Ado About Nothing,_ act IV, scene I, lines 249-50


	3. Gift of Self

GIFT OF SELF—reedited

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

River loved the Space Bazaar. True, there were a lot of people to crowd around her body and mind, but she actually found it easier to pick and choose whom to listen to in the jumble. Most people were considering merchandise—"I want that," "Oh, isn't that pretty?" "I wish I had one of those"—and many had list of things to buy that they mentally checked off. River could avoid the pickpockets because they tended to think the loudest as they narrowed down their prospective targets to the one gullible fool who wouldn't notice his wallet missing until he went to pay for his next item. The most interesting thoughts came from the barkers who were calling their wares and attractions. They spun stories and half-truths in their minds like cotton candy, their thoughts flying nearly as fast as hers to conjure interest in the audience of buyers.

She was also taking her second attempt at an Ice Planet. It had been so long since anything had really been a challenge for her, and River was determined to overcome the problematic food substance. Her concentration on the Ice Planet also gave her a new appreciation for her psychic abilities, such as they were. She didn't run into as many people while trying to get a bite of ice cream as she would have if she couldn't have sensed them in her way.

Jayne glanced back at the girl just as her Ice Planet once again smashed into her nose. He snorted a laugh when she flinched and wiped the vanilla ice cream away with the back of her hand. It was a constant amusement that the girl who could read minds, shoot folk without looking, and very probably kick his ass from now to next Wednesday without breaking a sweat if what Mal thought were true, couldn't figure out how to eat the frozen treat. Just went to show that brains weren't diddly without common sense, which he himself had in spades.

"Hey, Shepherd!" he called back. "You got her? I'm goin' that'a way for a spell."

Book nodded to Jayne that he would look after River. In fact, he was more concerned about Jayne and River being around each other as much as they were. He had no qualms about sending the merc away for a bit.

Jayne walked back passed River and reached out to lightly tug on a bit of her hair. She smiled slightly, but kept her focus on her ice cream.

"Keep walking, Preacher Man," River warned. "A collision is pending."

"Sorry, River," Book apologized and stepped out of her way.

The young woman went by him, still concentrating on her Ice Planet. It was somewhat of a surprise when she addressed the Shepherd while still staring at her ice cream. "Shouldn't contradict favorable attentions from boy to girl. She is happy, he is happy, and the family is in a state of peace."

"The state of peace will decline dramatically if you and Jayne form anything other than a friendship," the Shepherd warned.

Now River looked at him. "Why?"

"Because it wouldn't be appropriate. First of all, he's much older than you are."

"He has the maturity of a seventh grader."

"Which brings me to my next point: Jayne is not exactly the brightest star in the 'verse, River. He's hardly a match for someone of your talent. Wouldn't you prefer someone who could keep up with you?"

She sighed. "I am more intelligent than 99.52 of the known population of all the planets under the Alliance. No one could keep up with me, and those that could I would likely be more competitive with that amorous. Your point is moot."

"He's violent."

"I'm violent. And so were you," she quietly reminded him.

Book unintentionally stiffened his shoulders, but soon forced himself to relax. Really, it shouldn't have been a surprise that she knew that much. Any one of the crew could have surmised as much from past encounters. He just wondered how much the girl knew beyond the obvious.

"Be that as it may, River, it doesn't detract from my argument. If anything, your acknowledgement to violence strengthens my position. What happens the first time you and Jayne had a spat?" River smiled at the term. Book pushed onward. "You and Jayne would be likely to do serious damage to each other when one of you got angry at the other."

"Fists should only be used as a last resort."

"Jayne's philosophy states otherwise."

"So does a pit bull's, but even they can be trained."

"Are you planning on training Jayne?"

"Already started."

Now there was a frightening concept. Book had to take a minute to absorb that. River training Jayne…to do what? For what purpose? To what end?

She giggled. "To be kind. In order to establish connection. To encourage friendship and empathy with intent of continued attachment." River's face sobered as she met the Preacher's eyes. "If the guard dog is to become one of my knights, he must be loyal. He must have a stake in the outcome."

Book didn't know what to do with that. On the one hand, it was disturbing and seemed to be a softened version of what had been done to River herself—behavioral training and modification. On the other hand, isn't that, in some respects, what everyone did when they wished to make human contact? Was there any difference in River's plan compared to the normal foundation of friendship?

"I don't like the idea of you two together," he reiterated.

"She comprehends."

"Just…be careful with this, River," Book warned. "I wouldn't like to see either of you hurt."

"All possible outcomes have been weighed," River assured him. "The risks of failure and back-fire have been noted and deemed acceptable. She will do her best to not let harmful consequences spill onto the crew."

Book clasped his hands together before him and asked for faith and patience. When he looked over again, he saw that River was waiting for a response. "I understand." He frowned. "Your ice cream is dripping."

River looked down just in time to see a big drip of ice cream fall onto the toe of her boot. "_Go se_!"

&&&&

Jayne wandered the Bazaar looking for one of the stalls he had seen the last time they were here, when Mal and Zoë got the dead guy in a box that wasn't really dead, tried to get _them_ dead, and ended up getting shot and dieing anyway. Hopefully there wouldn't be any big crates delivered to Serenity this trip. Also, apparently, there was to be no stall that sold the good gun oil like he wanted.

In disappointment, Jayne started to head back toward where the crew was meeting up, but a flash of light caught his eye and made him turn his head. There was a booth off to one side that had little glass prisms dripping from the top beam over the counter. Lights set behind the prisms were strung on the inside of the booth. That was what had made the flash.

Curious and thinking about sending one of the light catchers home to his Ma—because she liked things like that—Jayne strolled over to the booth. There were glass prisms in the shapes of hearts, circles, sun bursts, tear drops, and even a few that looked like cut diamonds. While he browsed, the air currents moved the light catchers in circles on their strings, and again a burst of light caught his eye. The prism down at the end of the booth was one of the tear drop-shaped ones, but there was something different about it. It seemed to refract more light than the others, and when Jayne looked closer he saw that this prism was cut a little different. There was something going on inside that one that the others didn't have.

"Hey," Jayne called out to get the attention of the glass merchant. "How much for this one?"

"Which one?" the thin, dark man with wire-rimmed glasses asked as he came to Jayne' spot at the counter.

Jayne pointed up at the super-prism and watched the skinny man's expression morph from pleasure at the prospect of a sale into irritation and distress. The glass merchant looked over his shoulder and yelled. "Fassir!" Get out here! What is this?"

A boy of maybe fifteen, probably the man's son if the resemblance was any indication, came out from behind a long curtain at the back of the booth and walked to the man's side. He looked genuinely confused. Jayne was getting impatient.

"What is what?" Fassir asked.

"This. Look at this!" The merchant unhooked the super-prism's string from the booth and showed the glass tear to the boy. "This light catcher is cracked inside, and you put it out for sale. We don't sell flawed merchandise!"

"Wait a sec," Jayne jumped in, a little smile growing on his face. "Did you just say it's cracked inside?"

"Yes," the merchant confirmed. "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience; you'll have to make another choice. Fassir, you take this one in back and melt it down so we can reuse the glass, at least."

"You know what?" Jayne reached out and grabbed the prism before the boy could take it away, "I'm gonna take this one—for half price, since it's all cracked up—and that heart shaped one down there."

"But—"

Jayne pulled out some cash and dropped it on the counter of the booth, his best menacing glare in place and trained on the man's face. "Now, can I get me somethin' ta wrap my purchases in so's they don't break, or should I use that hanky you're tryin' ta pass off as a necktie?"

The tiny merchant gulped ad motioned for his son to go and get the heart shaped prism Jayne had pointed to. The man took the money on the counter, not bothering to count and see if it was the right amount, and got a box filled with paper packaging material to put the two light catchers in. He handed the box to the large, scary man when he had closed it with a piece of adhesive tape so that the lid didn't pop open and spill the contents.

"Here you go, sir. Have a nice day."

Jayne took the box with a wicket grin. When he was far enough away from the merchant's booth, he stopped by a wall and put his other packages down, confident that no one was going to try to steal from such an intimidating personage as himself. With his hands now free, he pulled at the lid of the box, finally forced to use his blunt fingernails to dig under the edge of the tape to get the top off. He'd have pulled out one of his knives to get into the box, but he was worried I might cause a scene he did not need.

Once the lid was up, Jayne reached through the packaging paper and pulled out the cracked tear prism and put it in the Velcro pocket on the side of his cargo pants leg. He then re-closed the box and picked up the rest of his stuff and headed toward the post office where the crew was to meet up again.

Everyone was standing around, comparing purchases and getting mail. Jayne dropped the boxes he carried for the crew onto the table and walked up to the office window with the box that held the heart shaped prism for his Ma.

"Whatcha got there, Jayne?" Kaylee asked.

"Present for my Ma."

"That's nice! What'dja get her?"

"None'a yer business." He smiled when he said it to keep Kaylee from getting that kicked-dog look and then hitting him. The little mechanic hit hard. Thankfully, she just stuck her tongue out at him.

After Jayne had mailed his post and picked up the latest letter his mother had sent him, he rejoined the crew and gathered up the boxes he'd set down. There were times _he_ felt like the Mule. River still had her Ice Planet, but it was melting fast, all over the floor. Jayne shook his head in amusement and let slip a comment about River's mental capacity in relation to frozen desserts. The next thing he felt was a thwack to the back of his head with something cold, wet, and sticky that proceeded to drip down his neck.

"_Hu che_!"

Jayne turned around to find River smirking at him. "My food may be problematic, but you do not have to be."

Jayne thrust the boxes and bags he carried at the rest of the crew who had turned around to see what Jayne's cussing had been about. River backed away, the smile never leaving her face. When Jayne took a step toward her, River squealed and bolted. Jayne was fast on her trail.

"Run, River!" Kaylee cheered.

"Get back here!" Mal yelled, but his two crew members ignored him and were soon out of sight in the crowd.

"We have to go after them," Simon said.

Wash shrugged. "They can't exactly go far."

"Yes, but what kinds of havoc will they create as they go?" Zoë pointed out.

Not a minute later, Jayne came strolling back with River slung over his shoulder, her two tiny wrists held in one of his hands. The Ice Planet was nowhere to be seen, and River was laughing as she hung. The crew could hear her all the way down the corridor. Jayne, no surprise, was looking mighty pleased with himself.

Simon rushed to his sister. "Mei-mei, are you all right?" He saw, when he got around Jayne, that River's face was red from laughter and the blood rushing to her brain as she hung over the mercenary's shoulder.

"Shiny," she assured him. "Just hanging out." River started cackling and buried her face into Jayne's back.

"What happened to the Ice Planet?" Wash asked, never one to turn down sweets.

"I think it's in her hair," Simon reported, which caused a new eruption of giggles from River. Her hair was matted into sticky, vanilla scented dreadlocks that either clung to her arms or hung down to Jayne's knees. The Doctor had been about to insist that Jayne put his sister down, but now he wasn't sure whether River would be able to walk, she was laughing so hard.

"Let's get goin'," Jayne said and headed back to the ship, leaving the rest of the crew with what he had been carrying so that he could tote one crazy girl.

"Can put me down now," River told him half way down the docking bay.

"Nope."

River wriggled her hands in his grip. "Put me down, _please_."

"Said no."

"Could make you."

"Not likely from where you're hangin'."

"If a Jayne falls in the docks, but no one is around to hear him, does he make a sound?" she asked.

"Don't know what that's gotta do with anything, but I ain't puttin' ya down 'til we're back inside the ship."

"Could fell the tree, but then we would have to drag dead lumber home, and that would make the Captain grumpy, as the tree is heavy. Put. Me. _Down_."

"N. O. Way." Jayne jiggled her a bit. "Quit gripin', we're almost there."

River snorted and tried to look over both of their shoulders to the door of Serenity, which Wash had gone a few steps ahead to open. "Jayne, beware. Historic symbolism is imminent," she warned. "I am Osirian, not Sabine."

He ignored her since he had no idea what she was talking about. The rest had didn't know what she meant, either, but Book wracked his brain, knowing he knew the reference, but unable to recall it.

River tucked her head into the small of Jayne's back again and enjoyed the rest of the ride, a secretive smile curled up on her lips. "A doorway approaches. No turning back now."

Book remembered the reference to the story of the Ancient Romans carrying the Sabine women back to the city too late; Jane had already carried River over the threshold of Serenity. Once inside, he put her down just as he said he would, River stood for a moment in front of him with her head spinning.

"Head rush."

Once she got her eyes to see straight, she sniffed delicately at Jayne, attempting to seem un-amused. "Jayne is not nice. Snips and snails and puppy dog tails!" She stuck her tongue out. "Going to take a shower," she said, and headed off to the passenger dorms with regal dignity and sticky hair.

"Oh, 'cause your all sugar an' spice?" he called after her. "More like fruit cake and crackers!"

Jayne continued grinning. He'd finally gotten her and it gave him no small amount of satisfaction. Of course, now his hands were goopy and sticky with vanilla icecream "I gotta wash off this gorram icecream."

As soon as he was out of ear shot, Kaylee started up. "Aw! Jayne and River, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"But not on the mouth!"

Wash and Kaylee gave high-fives amid a duet of laughter. Apparently they were the only ones who'd thought it was funny.

Mal cleared his throat as he set down one of the mid-sized boxes of parts his mechanic had ordered. "Little Kaylee, I'd hate to think you knew somethin' inappropriate was goin' on between them two and you didn't tell me."

Kaylee's smile dampened. "No, sir. Don't know no such thing. Certainly not 'inappropriate'. Besides, I'm only teasin'. I'm just guessin' what's goin' on between Jayne an' River." Her smiled perked back up. "Gotta say, tough, that was some pretty shiny supportin' evidence!"

"What other evidence do you have?" the Captain asked.

"First of all, I don't care _what_ you think, that was just cute," Kaylee defended her friends. "Also, there was that whole ballerina carving thing, what with Jayne fixin' it for her when it got broke. Oh! And he's been pullin' her hair."

"'Pulling her hair'?" Simon asked, confused and alarmed.

"Yeah. You know, like when you was a kid—okay, maybe not _you_ specifically—but normal folk," Kaylee amended. "And to get a girl's attention you'd pull on her braids?"

"Jayne's doing that?" Zoë asked.

"Uh-huh," she confirmed. "Whenever he comes in a room where she's at, or leaves a room she's in, or the other way 'round, he reaches out and kinda pulls on a bit of her hair. It's adorable, even if it _is_ pretty element'ry school. Like just now."

"Ah, yes," Wash said, the light finally dawning. "The old 'kiss-tag' game."

"Care to explain, husband?" Zoë raised an eyebrow to give him a spill-it-before-I-hurt-you look.

"Not that _I_ ever played such a game…ever…unless it was with you, lamby-toes."

Kaylee giggled. "You know, the game where you go up to a boy you like and shove him, then take off running so's he has to run after you."

"So River was…flirting?" Simon asked. "With Jayne?" He felt a headache coming on.

"Son, I honestly don't think she ran because she was afraid of him," the Shepherd said. "I believe Kaylee is right in thinking that River ran because she wanted Jayne to run after her; to _catch_ her, more to the point. Perhaps it was a part of his training."

"Training?" Mal asked. This was all getting very complicated. And weird. Extremely weird.

Book nodded and explained to the crew what River had told him about her plan to train Jayne from a pit bull into her knight. Mal recalled River once saying that if the crew went back to the Academy to rescue the other students they would need Jayne on their side when they went in. Something about Jayne only sticking his neck out for his family, and her and the Doc not being a part of that family. It seemed the girl was trying to bind herself to Jayne in the most basic way. And Jayne, whether he knew it or not, seemed to be going along with it.

Mal cursed quietly and looked down at his boots a minute. "Wash, go take us out. Kaylee, you take your parts and see what you can do with 'em. Doc, you go handle your sister." He gave the boy a significant look that the young doctor completely understood and agreed with. "Zoë, let's get the rest of this stuff stowed. I'll handle Jayne later."

Simon walked back to the passenger dorms and tried to think of what to say to his sister. Was he supposed to sit her down and giver her The Talk? He figured that River knew everything he could tell her about sex, and probably more besides. Who knew what she'd read, in what books, at what age? Not to mention, trying to have The Talk with his sister would be excruciating. But he still had the problem of what to do about this thing between her and Jayne As much as Simon hated to admit it, River was old enough to be curious, and the man-ape was the only unattached male on Serenity who wasn't her brother. There was the Captain, or course, but River consistently referred to Mal in father-like terms, so he didn't think she would turn there for her first crush.

"Simon?"

He jumped at the sound of his sister's voice, muffled through the door of the passengers' toilet and the sound of running water. "What is it, mei-mei? Are you alright?"

"Towels, please! I forgot them. Ice cream was distracting."

"Oh. Okay, be right back."

Once Simon had fetched River her towel from her room, he knocked on the bathroom door. "River?"

"Put towels on the floor. Hygiene is not complete."

Simon sighed and opened the door a crack so that he could toss her folded towel onto the floor within easy reach of the shower. "River…we need to talk."

"Later, Simon. Temperature is equalizing. Close the door!"

He shut it. He would just talk to her later. Little brat.

&&&&

Jayne had nearly forgotten about the glass catcher he had stowed in his pocket. Chasing the girl down and proceeding to smash her own ice cream into her hair had been distracting. Now that he'd washed all the gunk off of himself, he remembered what he'd wanted the prism for.

Jayne jogged down the stairs to the passenger dorms. He got to the common room in time to see the Doc shut the door to his room. The shower turned off a second later, and Jayne popped down on the couch to wait.

Inside the shower, River wrung out her finally clean hair and picked off the loose strands from her fingers. Gross. She opened the door of the shower and found one single towel waiting for her. Simon was such a boob. Obviously he had difficulty remembering that a person with long hair would need two towels. Dope.

Oh well. River used the one towel to pat the ends of her hair so that it wouldn't drip all over her, and then wrapped it around her body, under her arms, and tucked the far end into the top so that it would stay put. She gathered up her pale pink dress she'd worn at the Space Bazaar, her socks, and her big clunky combat boots and moved to the door.

Jayne was outside.

Her stomach squeezed, but she made herself exit the room. Honestly, who was being the dope now? She had on a towel, and really, everyone was naked under their clothes, anyway.

Jayne stopped tapping his knee and looked up when he heard the click of the latch releasing. River walked out in nothing but a white towel that covered from her arm pits to her thighs, though it left most of the later bare. The girl had great legs, no doubt about that. In fact, all of the bare skin he was seeing was pretty shiny. He couldn't help thinking back on all the skin he'd seen when she'd first come out of that box her brother had her in. Lots and lots of skin. Skin which was starting to turn pink from her shoulders to her hair line, as a matter of fact.

Jayne cleared his throat and opened his mouth. "Uh…" was as far as he got. What was he there for?

"Time is of the essence," she told him. "It's cold."

It was cold and she was barely dressed. That meant goosebumps and hard nipples, and just the thought of it got him stiffening, too. He stood up from the couch and reached down to the pocket on his pant-leg. He dug inside and pulled out the light catcher and held it up by its string.

"Here. Found this back at the Bazaar. Thought you might like it."

Jayne held the prism out to her, and River, after setting her clothes down in a chair, came forward the three steps it took to stand in front of him. She didn't take the glass tear from Jayne, but watched it spin on a thread from his fingers, letting light shine through it and bounce about the room. The overhead lights weren't at the correct angle for the prism to change white into bands of color, but it did do its job and turn simple matte lighting into bursts and rays as it twisted in the gentle wind from the O2 vents.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Jayne snapped himself away from trying to get a peek down the top of her towel.

She looked up and found his watchful eyes. "Why this?"

"'Cause it reminded me'a you—cracked inside." A corner of his mouth went up as he said it, and he nodded his chin at the prism. "'S what the _wang ba dan_ de of a merchant who sold it to me said, anyway. That it was cracked."

"Also refractive," River murmured. "Takes what is outside, internalizes, and sends it forth scattered and changed."

"Yeah, ya both do that, too, I guess."

"Both flawed."

"Uh-huh."

"Pretty."

"Yeah." There were little beads of water still on her shoulders that were distracting Jayne from whatever she was saying. What would they taste like coming off her skin?

River reached up, breaking his fascination with her shoulders, and took the string that the prism dangled by, brushing Jayne's fingers in the process. "Thank you." She shook her head as she smile up at him. "Have never been so beautiful in anyone else's eyes. Means a lot."

Jayne's mind went blank as to how to deal with this. He remembered the manners his Ma had tried to teach him and responded the only way he could think of at the moment. "You're welcome."

"Jayne, gorramit!" Mal's voice yelled down from somewhere in she ship not close but not too far away. "Where the hell _are_ you?!"

"_Qing wa cao de liu mang_," Jayne muttered, though he was thankful for Mal's interruption. "Comin'!"

He'd gotten only to the second stair when he felt a hand on his arm and he looked down to find River on the first step, still in just that towel, which was a whole list of wrongs. But River didn't stop on that stair below him; she kept climbing so that her face was nearly level with his. With a smile, she leaned in, just to the side, and kissed his cheek just like she had when he had returned her ballerina to her, fixed. He could smell her—clean and wet and warm—and he forced himself to swallow passed his suddenly tight throat and keep both of his hands on the railing at his back so they wouldn't do something stupid like pull her closer.

River pulled back and smiled up at him, sparkly and kind of cracked. Her damp hand was still on his arm, and she was sucking up his warmth through her palm. "_Thou hast me, if thou hast me, at the worst; and thou shalt wear me, if thou wear me, better and better…_" she promised. "Flawed, cracked, incomplete, but she is not made of egg shells, and she is mending."

She gave him a last little grin, and started back toward her room. The synapses fired so quickly in Jayne's mind, completely unbidden by higher brain functions, that he was almost unaware of his own hand flying out to catch her arm, keep her with him, just for a minute.

"Jayne!" Mal shouted again.

"River?" Simon asked, coming out from his room to see what was taking her so long.

_I am getting' tossed out the air lock,_ Jayne thought.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

_Henry V, _act V, scene II, lines 231-33

**Chinese Translations:**

_Hu che_—shut up! (meaning connotation: "No way!")

_wang ba dan _– son of a bitch

_Qing wa cao de liu mang—_frog-humping son of a bitch


End file.
